It's the season to loosen up and dial down your stress—that should go for your beauty routine, too. So we asked top experts for their secret techniques and go-to products for maximum gorgeousness with bare-minimum effort. Which leaves you plenty of time to chill out.

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Spritz leave-in conditioner at the beach

Spritz leave-in conditioner at the beach

"If you work a drop through the length of your hair before jumping in the water, it limits how much saltwater or chlorine your strands will absorb," says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer.

CREATE FRESH-FACED RADIANCE

CREATE FRESH-FACED RADIANCE

With this move from makeup artist Gita Bass (she works with Tina Fey), you'll look like you just had a $500 facial. "First, mix two to three drops of a liquid highlighter into your dollop of face lotion," she says. Use a champagne color on fair to olive skin, or bronze on deep skin (try Soap & Glory Hocus Focus Instant Visual Flaw- Softening Illuminator, $15). "Next, dab a shimmer-free liquid bronzer along the top of your forehead, cheekbones, chin, and the bridge of your nose." Tap a rosy cream blush on the apples of cheeks and swipe on a tinted lip balm, and off you go.

CREATE FRESH-FACED RADIANCE

With this move from makeup artist Gita Bass (she works with Tina Fey), you'll look like you just had a $500 facial. "First, mix two to three drops of a liquid highlighter into your dollop of face lotion," she says. Use a champagne color on fair to olive skin, or bronze on deep skin (try Soap & Glory Hocus Focus Instant Visual Flaw- Softening Illuminator, $15). "Next, dab a shimmer-free liquid bronzer along the top of your forehead, cheekbones, chin, and the bridge of your nose." Tap a rosy cream blush on the apples of cheeks and swipe on a tinted lip balm, and off you go.

​ENHANCE YOUR SUN PROTECTION

You already know that slathering on broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every two hours is crucial when you're outdoors, but what you put on your body when you come inside is equally important. "Damaging free radicals from UV rays continue to react on your skin for up to six hours after being in the sun," says Elizabeth Hale, M.D., a clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center. So after a day at the beach or pool, "rub on a body lotion that contains antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C, or green tea extract to help neutralize them," says Hale.

​Juice up your lip color

"A vibrant lipstick or stain is your one-and-done makeup look, because it brightens your entire face," says makeup artist Monika Blunder, whose clients include Naomi Watts. Try one of the season's hot tomato red or vivid fuchsia shades in a long-wearing or matte formula, which hold up better in the heat. For extra insurance against melting, "use your finger or the wand to press the pigment into lips, then blot and apply a second coat," says Blunder.

DON'T FORGET SPF ON YOUR HANDS!

"They get just as much sun exposure as your face," notes Hale. To protect against spots and skin cancer, swipe a stick sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher over the backs of your hands and fingers every morning. Then, pop it in your bag so you have it on hand (ha-ha!) when you're outdoors.

Dust bronzer below the chin

There's nothing believable about a golden face atop a pale neck, so if you wear bronzer, "be sure to also brush down your neck," says Bass. "When your shoulders and upper chest are exposed, sweep a little on those spots, too." If you're naturally quite fair, Bass recommends using a regular powder two shades darker than your skin instead of bronzer, "which can end up looking too dark."

SUMMER-PROOF YOUR MANI

It'll stay glossy and intact a lot longer if you use a topcoat with UV absorbers. (Zoya Armor, $10, is a good one.) And since sunscreen can dull a paint job, keep a pack of makeup wipes in your beach tote to clean off your nails after each application of SPF.

​Prevent fried hair

The best parts of summer can make your 'do worse for wear: Not only will chlorine and saltwater dry it out, but one study showed that UV rays may also weaken strands, making them prone to damage. So for all the hot months, "switch to a shampoo and conditioner designed for damaged hair," says Hammer. "Formulas with amodimethicone or keratin and other proteins can have a dramatic corrective effect on both the look and feel of hair."

​Do shimmery blush the right way

There's a time and a place for glimmer on your cheeks; the office or your nephew's first-birthday party probably aren't it. But for date night, "a slightly pearly peach or pink blush reflects light off skin for the loveliest natural glow," says Bass. Graze it along your cheekbones, but don't swirl it on the apples (that's too much gleam).